ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · wake · drill · last · board · patient · bark · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. drill — army training
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bark — to shout
  10. board — a committee
  11. last — finally
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — happy
  17. last — final
  18. board — to get on
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wake — a trail
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — the tool
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com